Dispensing device



Oct. 20, 1936. R. SANDERSON DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Sept. 25, 1935311366// L. Sende/aa# Patented Oct. 20, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved dispensing device and moreparticularly to a device adapted to be Secured in a vertical positionagainst a wall or other support and serve as means for housing a tube oftooth paste, shaving cream or the like and permit contents of the tubeto be discharged therefrom when needed.

One object of the invention is to so construct a container or housingconstituting the body portion of the dispensing device that acollapsible tube may be easily inserted through the upper end thereofand supported in a vertical position in the housing with its dischargeneck secured through a passage in the bottom of the housing wherebytooth paste or the like may be discharged from the tube on to a brushplaced under the device when pressure is applied to the tube.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means forengaging the neck of the tube which may be either threaded or unthreadedand firmly but releasably secure the neck in position through thepassage formed through the bottom of the housing.

Another object of the invention is to so form the housing that a windingkey for rolling and compressing the tube may project externally of thehousing through a slot formed longitudinally therein and thus allow thekey to be turned to expel contents of the tube without removing thecover of the housing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved means forclosing the lower end of the discharge neck of the tube when not in use,the closure being so mounted that it can be very easily moved to aclosed or opened position and when closed prevented from accidentallymoving to an opened position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved dis-- pensing device,

Fig. 2 is sectional view upon an enlarged scale taken vertically throughthe dispensing device,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the neckof the tube is gripped, and

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

This improved dispensing device has a hollow body formed of metal orother desired material and constituting a container or housing l inwhich the collapsible tube 2 is mounted in a vertical position as shownin Figures 1 and 2. A removable cover 3 is provided for the open upperend of the container and at its lower end the container is formed with abottom 4 through the center of which is formed a large opening 5. Byproviding an oversized opening in the bottom of the housing or containerthe housing will accommodate tubes having discharge necl o: variousdiameters. In the present illustration the neck 6 is externally threadedbut it isto be understood that the neck need not be threaded in order toallow the tube to be supported within the housing. Brackets 'I areSecured to the housing adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof andproject from the housing to such an extent that securing screws may beeasily passed through the brackets to mount the housing against a wallor other support in a vertical position.

contents of the tube are to be discharged therefrom through the neck 6and in order to do so there has been provided a. key 9 formed of strongmetal and of such length that when it is disposed transversely in'thehousing with the upper end of the tube engaged through the slot lil ofthe key, the end portion of the key carrying the turning head ll willproject outwardly through the slot I 2 formed longitudinally of thehousing at one side thereof. Therefore, by grasping the head or 20finger piece li the key may be easily turned to wind the tube upon thekey and expel contents of the tube through the neck. As the slot is openat its upper end the key may be applied to a tube and the tube and keythen moved downwardly into the housing with the key extending throughthe slot and when the tube reaches the bottom of the housing the neckwill pass through the opening 5.

A metal disk or Washer !3 is welded or otherwise flxed to the bottom ofthe housing with its opening l4 registering with the opening 5 and byreferring to Figures 3 and 4 it will be seen that upper face of the diskis recessed as shown at IS to provide a pocket in which a latch !6 ispivotally mounted by a pin ll. This latch is substantially V-shaped andhas a bill |8 and an actuating arm or lever !9, the lever being bentlongitudinally to provide a depending flange 20 which limits inwardmovement of the latch beyond the position shown in Figures 3 and 4 andhas its free end portion extended and bent to provide a tongue 20'. Thetongue projects from the side edge face of the disk when the latch ismoved inwardly into position for the free end of the bill to bearagainst and grip the neck 6 of the tube and therefore the latch can beeasily engaged by a finger and swung outwardly to a releasing position.A portion of the disk is undercut at the opposite side of the opening llfrom the pocket |5 to provide a lip 2| adapted to have interlockingengagement with threads of the neck and the free end of the bill IB ofthe latch is serrated as shown in Figure 2 to provide teeth 22 of theproper size for engageing threads of the neck. Therefore, when the neckis extending through the passage formed by the registering openings 5and |4 and the latch swung inwardly to its operative or securingposition, threads of the neck will be engaged by the lip 2! and teeth 22and the tube will be flrmly supported in a vertical position andprevented from moving out o! the position shown in Figure 2. It the neckis unthreaded, the lip 2| and teeth 22 will bite into the neck and thusflrmly grip the neck and maintain the tube in the upright position. Itwill thus beseen that a tube having either a threaded or unthreaded neckcan be flrmly gripped and supported in an upright position in thehousing. When contents of the tube have all been used it is merelynecessary to swing the latch outwardly to a releasing position and'after removing the cap 3 slide the key upwardly through the slot untilthe key, with the tube wound thereon, is moved upwardly out of thehousing. The used tube can then be removed !rom the key,`a new tubeapplied and the tube and key moved into place within the housing.

It is desired to prevent drying of the contents of the tube when not inuse while at the same time allowing easy dispensing thereof, and inorder to do so there has been provided a. cap 23 fixed upon the upperface oi' an arm or lever 24 which extends under the housing radiallythereot with one end pivoted to hinge ears 25 depending from the bottomof the housing. The lever is formed of resilient metal and has its freeend portion bent upwardly as shown at 26 andi terminating in alatch 21for engaging a tooth or keeper 28 carried by the housing at the frontthereof. A portion of the latch projects outwardly from the housing toprovide a finger engaging element 29 and by referring to Figura 1 itwill be seen that by applying pressure to the fmger engaging element thearm or lever can be easily released and will then drop to a dependingposition in which it will be out of the way and not interfere withplacing of a tooth brush or shaving brush under the open neck 6 of thetube. After a desired quantity'of tooth paste or shaving cream has beenexpelled by turning the key 9 the arm 24 can be swung upwardly to araised position and when pressure i applied thereto to move the latch 21into engagement with the keeper 28 the arm will be held in place withthe cap 23 about the exposed lower portion of the neck 6. Therefore, theneck will be shielded by the cap and contents of the tube preventedi'rom drying or beeoming rancid by exposure to air.

I have, therefore, provided a dispensing device in which a tube oi'tooth paste or shaving cream may be mounted for use and contents thereofeasily dispensed.

Having thus described the invention, what is 'claimed as new is:

1. In a dispensing device of the character described, a receptacleslotted longitudinally and open at its top and having its bottom formedwith an opening, a Washer fixed to the bottom and formed with an openingalined with the opening of the bottom and with a recess in its upperface defining a pocket leading from a side of said alined openings, alip being provided at the other side of the opening of the Washer, said.receptacle being adapted to receive a callapsible tube having anexternally threaded neck of a diameter to be passed through the alinedopenings, a latch pivotally mounted in said pocket and having a billprojecting into the alined openings and a handle disposed extemally ofthewasher tor turning the latch about its pivot and moving the bill intoengagement with the threaded neck ot the tube to bind the neck inengagement with said lip, a key extending through the slot of thereceptacle and having its portion within the recep- &067.798

tacle slotted tor engagement about the upper end of the tube to wind thetube about the key and expel contents of the tube .through the neck whenthe key is turned, an arm pivotally mounted under 4 said receptacle, acap for said neck carried by said arm. and means for releasably holdingthe arm in a raised position with the cap in closing relation to theneck.

2. In a dispensing device, a housing having a bottom formed with anopening and adapted to receive a tube with a neck thereof extendingthrough the opening, a washer fixed to the bottom oi' the housing withits opening registering with the opening ot the bottom, said washerhaving a recess leading froni its opening, and a latch pivotally mountedin the recess and having a'n actuating arm and a bill for moving acrossthe opening of the Washer when the latch is moved to an operativeposition, the portion of the Washer at the opposite side of its openingfrom the recess being formed with a lip to cooperate with the bill andgrip the neck of the tube when the latch is in its operative position.

3. In a dispensing device, a housing adapted to receive a tube andhaving a'passage at its bottom to receive the discharge neck of thetube, a member projecting downwardly from the bottom of the housingabout said passage and formed with a pocket leading from a side oi' thepassage, a lip carried by said member at the opposite side of thepassage from said pocket, and a latch movabiy mounted in said pocket andhaving a. portion movable into and out of a. position across the passageand when projected across the passage adapted to engage the neck of thetube whereby the neck will be gripped between the latch and lip and thetube held upright with its neck extending through the passage.

4. In a dispensing device, a housing adapted to receive a tube andhaving a passage at its bottom to receive the discharge neck of thetube, a member projecting downwardly from the bottom of said housingabout said passage and formed with a iateral pocket leading from saidpassage, a. lip carried by said member at the opposite side of thepassage !rom said pocket, a. gripper pivoted in said pocket and havingan actuating lever projecting externally from the pocket, and a billprojecting into one side of .the passage and terminating in a toothedend for engaging the neck of the tube and binding the neck against saidlip to support the tube in an upright position in the housing. v

5. In a dispensing device, a housing adapted to receive a tube andhaving a passage at its bottom to receive the discharge neck of thetube, means to secure the neck in the passage and support the tubevertically in the housing with its neck projecting outwardly rrom thepassage, a keeper at the front ot the housing adjacent the lower endthereot, a strip oi' resilient material pivoted to the bottom of thehousing at a point diametrically opposite the keeper and extendingdiametricaiy of the bottom and having its i'ree end portion bentupwardly to form a latch i'or engaging the keeper and then outwardly toform a flnger engaging element projecting i'orwardly from aussm L.saNDERsoN. i

